Interconnected drapery carrier systems of the type having a plurality of drapery carriers attached at spaced locations along a string are known. The drapery carriers have panel mounting means adapted for attachment to a drapery panel at spaced locations along the drapery panel heading, and the lead or spacing of the carriers along the string is selected so that the flexible string controls the spacing between the carriers when the drapery panel is closed to produce generally uniform pleats or folds in the drapery panel. When such drapery carrier systems are used on traverse rods, one end of the string is connected to a master carrier so that the master carrier draws a string of interconnected carriers along the rod when it is moved to a position to close the drapes.
In the string connected carrier system such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,434,524 and 3,951,196, the carriers are connected to the string at spaced locations therealong by being molded directly on the string. In the string connected carrier system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,621, buttons are molded on the string at spaced locations along the string and the buttons thereafter detachably connected to the carriers to control the spacing between the carriers. However, molding of parts such as drapery carriers or buttons at spaced locations along a string requires a more complex molding apparatus and the molding operation is also somewhat slower than molding similar parts without the string. In addition, the resistance to slippage of the molded part on string is dependent on the material used for the molded part and on the material and type of string. For example, if the string is a mono-filament type or if the string is of the multi-strand type having a very tight twist or braid, parts molded on the string sometime slip along the string and produce an undesirable variation in the spacing between adjacent carriers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,196 discloses a string connected carrier system in which the string extends through a slot in the carriers and knots or beads are provided at spaced locations along the string to engage the carrier at opposite ends of the slot. However, this arrangement requires that the string be specially formed with the knots or beads at spaced locations therealong and increases the overall cost of the string connected carrier system.